Tag: Blog

We’re proud to announce that Trials of the Thief-Taker, the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is now available for Steam, iOS, and Android. It’s 25% off until August 17th!

In London, 1729, before they had police, they had you: thief-takers, hunting criminals for cash! Fire a flintlock and sip gin in the age of powdered wigs. Will you grow rich catching smugglers and highwaymen, show mercy, or become a crime boss yourself?

Trials of the Thief-Taker is a 140,000-word interactive historical adventure novel by Joey Jones, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Diamonds are pouring out through the Iron Curtain, but somebody talked – your entire spy ring is either dead or disavowed. Everything ties back to what happened a decade prior in Africa, and you have to find out where it ends. The mission isn’t over.

Diamant Rose is a 87,000 word interactive cold war novel by Teo Kuusela, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

• Experience an exciting romp through the deadly world of espionage!
• Play the part of a French intelligence agent.
• Evade enemies, find old friends, manipulate those closest to your targets.
• Shut down a

We’re proud to announce that The Hero Unmasked!, the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is now available for Steam, iOS, and Android. It’s 30% off until August 2nd!

Impersonate your identical twin as the Swashbuckler, masked champion of justice! You have two weeks to rescue the REAL Swashbuckler and marry the mayor before superpowered criminals take over the city.

The Hero Unmasked! is a 300,000 word interactive novel by Christopher Huang. It’s entirely text-based, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

As our story begins, you have everything you’ve ever wanted. Your TV news show is the highest rated in the city, and you’re engaged to the mayor, with two … Read the rest

Famous archaeologist Dr. Lucius Thayer has gone missing in the Amazon jungle, and the CIA has asked you to find him. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one interested in Dr. Thayer. Enter a world of ancient mysteries and modern dangers, of suspicious cults and nefarious secret agents. Remember, you’re not paranoid if the danger is real.

The Spy and the Labyrinth is a 40,000 word interactive fantasy novel by Lewis Manalo, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Your choices determine which document you read next in your ongoing search for clues. Through your investigation of the articles, journal entries, and

As part of our support for the Choice of Games Contest for Interactive Novels, we will be posting an irregular series of blog posts discussing important design and writing criteria for games. We hope that these can both provide guidance for people participating in the Contest and also help people understand how we think about questions of game design and some best practices. These don’t modify the evaluation criteria for the Contest, and (except as noted) participants are not required to conform to our recommendations–but it’s probably a good idea to listen when judges tell you what they’re looking for.

If these topics interest you, be sure to sign up for our contest mailing list below! We’ll post more of our thoughts on game design … Read the rest

Something is rotten in City Hall—can you uncover it and…win a Pulitzer? When the mayor unexpectedly resigns, it’s up to you, the rookie reporter on the City Desk to find out the real story and get it into print. Right away you smell a rat. As you track down sources and information, your reporter’s instincts, brains, heart, or impeccable writing will lead you to the truth.

“The Daily Blackmail” is a 33,000 word interactive fantasy novella by Mary Duffy, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

In The Daily Blackmail, you’ll get all the news that is (and isn’t!) fit to

The Golden Age of heroes is over, but you’re just beginning. Will you use your powers to help the world or help yourself? Set on a near-future Earth that has been irrevocably altered by the arrival of superhumans, the world has been dealing with a radical shift in the nature of humanity. For thirty years, those with world-altering powers – referred to as capes – have been at the forefront of the world’s media. There has been heroes, there has been villains, and there has been world-shattering confrontations when those two groups came into contact. For a time, those individuals walked the world like modern deities. For a time, it was good.

We’re proud to announce that The Eagle’s Heir, the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is now available for Steam, iOS, and Android. It’s 20% off until April 6th!

Defend Napoleon’s heir in this steampunk alternate history game of political maneuvering, airship adventure, and romantic intrigue! Will you bring liberty to France, or plunge Europe into bloody war?

“The Eagle’s Heir” is a 200,000 word interactive novel by Amy Griswold and Jo Graham. It’s entirely text-based, without graphics, or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Since Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, seventeen years ago, Europe has enjoyed an uneasy peace. While the great empires of Austria, Russia and England have … Read the rest

Defeat the rampaging demon horde, save the Kingdom of Daria, and avenge the death of your parents in the thrilling conclusion to this epic three part series! You’ll need all the power you can muster to finish building your legend, tapping into any of the dozen new prestige classes, including Druid of Decay, Dragon Knight, and even fighting the demons with their own fire by becoming a Demon Master!

The Lost Heir 3: Demon War is a 250,000-word interactive fantasy novel by Mike Walter—the conclusion to the trilogy—where your choices control the story. The game is entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. It’s 20% off until March

Write an archmage’s autobiography in this 80-year 130,000-word interactive fiction. Play good or evil, man or woman, as you bring peace to the kingdom or take over the world with your sorcery. Brew potions, raise the dead, summon mythical beasts, control men’s minds, and blast away your enemies.

Life of a Wizard is an epic interactive novel by Mike Walter where you control the main character. In each chapter, your choices determine how the story proceeds.

Choice of Games’ latest release will be The Eagle’s Heir by Amy Griswold and Jo Wyrick. The Eagle’s Heir is a steampunk alternate history game of political maneuvering, airship adventure, and romantic intrigue. Will you bring liberty to France, or plunge Europe into bloody war? I sat down with the authors to learn more about their game and their experiences writing interactive fiction. Look forThe Eagle’s Heir later this week, releasing on Thursday, March 30th.

Eagle’s Heir is an alternate history or uchronia, in which Napoleon actually won at Waterloo. There’s also a bit of a steampunk flavor to it, because in this world there are airships used in combat situations. It’s a very fun, very exciting world. Tell me what drew you to invent … Read the rest

It’s about gardening in tight spaces. It’s about how to live in a tiny apartment with a tiny terrace. It’s about friends, and inspiration and blackspot on the roses. It’s about food and cooking over an open flame. It’s about wine. And water. And watering…And picnics. It’s about Brooklyn. And South Africa. It’s about seasons without and within. It’s about where I go and what I come back to: a terrace twelve-and-three quarters by five-and-a-quarter feet wide.”

“This project started with a conversation with Human Resources and a ticket to Paris.

I had been working at American Express developing business in Europe. Lo and behold, my role moved to London, and I stayed in New York (hence the meeting with HR). It was a good thing though – I was excited about the possibilities ahead! But first my husband and I redeemed all our Membership Rewards points and headed straight to Paris with a beautiful guidebook in hand, Markets of Paris.

We explored that city in a brand new way, eating most of our meals at the wonderful Parisian farmers markets. As we wandered, we started to wonder what kinds of markets New York had to offer beyond our beloved greenmarket at Abingdon … Read the rest